Confirmed: Jimena and Tarifa are out of the 'tobacco loop'

Crossing into Spain

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR Measures announced recently and coming into effect on January 1, 2013, against tobacco smuggling said that only residents living within 15 kms from the Gibraltar frontier would be allowed to bring in a maximum of 4 packs per month. It is now confirmed that, although the 15k rule has been on the statute books for some time, it will now be put into effect. It is expected hat this will impact principally on residents of La Línea, Algeciras, San Roque, Castellar and Los Barrios, as well as frontier workers (to be defined) but excludes Jimena and Tarifa, whose residents will not be allowed any leeway at all. There is plenty of debate and controversy raging on both sides of the frontier. Madrid says that the geographical limitations have been in place since last year, when the number of packets allowed dropped from 30 to 10. Not that anybody has noticed this at the border controls. In any case, the limitations may be difficult to apply becauseYOU WILL SOON BE UNABLE TOREAD THE REST OF ARTICLES LIKE THIS WITHOUT A SUBSCRITIONthere are some thousands of people crossing the border every day, 4,000 of whom are Spanish workers mostly from La Línea and other close places -and this number is only of those who are registered at the Employment Services in Gibraltar, plus some 2,000 British people working on the Rock, added to a similar number of other nationalities. Tourists and Gibraltarians account for at least a similar amount crossing each day.